LotR - Rise to War {LegoRomance}

XXIX: Farewell Supper at the Hall of Fire

Imladris, 3018 TA, December 23

Later that evening, Xena found herself standing on the fringes of the Hall of Fire, far away from the elfish crowd. She was quite content with her position, as she was conversing with Gimli about her days of absence. Across the Hall, she could see the elf looking this way, and she shrank further into the shadows. She had no idea how to deal with the elf after their last encounter.

"The summons us for a farewell dinner and they don't provide meat," the dwarf grumbled, crossing his arms across his chest.

Xena gave a quick look to the elf before responding, "It's something they've been doing from the first day I've been here!"

"The elves have no idea how valuable dwarfs are or how much meat they need," Gimli complained. He saw the human staring at the elf and she ended up averting her eyes with a flushed face, perplexed.

Xena grinned and gave a nod "Complain not; no one here is eating meat. We were all piled high with green food."

The dwarf examined her for a long period before reminding her, "At the very least, you had your steak a while ago!"

For a brief while, the human forgot about the elf in order to respond to Gimli. "Then you're associating with the wrong people, Gimli. You owe it to the hobbits to spend more time with them... they have the meat."

Gimli ended up agreeing with her after chuckling at her clever statement. Then he glared daggers at Legolas, who had arrived a few moments before, and the human acted strangely each time she caught a glimpse of him. "What business do you and the elf have?" he eventually inquired.

Something pricked her consciousness, and she turned to face the dwarf, feeling her face boil. It was not, however, the dwarf's fault, but rather the early moment between her and Legolas in the showers. "Nothing happened!" she said, her gaze avoiding Gimli's.

"I'm not convinced, lass," Gimli said. "I've talked with you often enough to be aware of your emotions. And shyness is not one of them."

"It's nothing," she repeated, more for her own convenience than for Gimli's.

"Speaking about the issue, lass, is preferable to convincing yourself that it does not exist," Gimli said.

"Everyone knows that," Xena conceded as she debated whether or not to inform Gimli of what had happened. Normally, the human would not discuss her private affairs, but Gimli had developed a deep friendship with her, a companion in whom she could confide. "If you must know. Today, I entered the showers and discovered an elf who had neglected to shut the door." she delivered.

Gimli cocked his head and watched Xena and then the elf. "And?" he said, anticipating her continuation of the narrative.

"And..." squealed Xena, "he was... nude... and I was... as well..."

"Ah," Gimli nodded sympathetically, "now it makes sense why you're avoiding eye contact."

Xena seemed perplexed; she was expecting Gimli to complain about the situation, but he just commented on their discomfort. "Is that all there is?" Xena inquired, raising an eyebrow as she observed the dwarf.

"Lass, your face is intact, but his nose is bruised," Gimli chuckled. "You have dealt with the tree-humper. Take pride in yourself!"

Xena smiled as Gimli's perspective on Legolas assuaged her worries: "Yup, I have!"